The Slytherin's Secret
by Pantherstrike
Summary: Harry and Draco help clean out the Black home and find out exactly how the rivalry of slytherin and Gryffindor came to be. it was in fact a misunderstood lover's quarrel. Of salazar and godric. Slash. SSGG HPDM SBRL
1. Chapter 1

Harry and Draco are helping Sirius and Remus clean out and restore Grimmwald Palace for the Order. They find out secrets that map out all that happened in the years after they founded Hogwarts and why exactly Slytherins were hated and how the rivalry of The Lions and The Snakes came to be. That pesky fourth year business never happened. Either way set it the summer before 5th year. RLSB HPDM SSGG

Colorful cursing could be heard through the halls of Grimmwald Palace which was currently being restored and cleaned. Cursing has been going on for a good part of the morning. Something would set Sirius off and the other let him rant. Only now he was running out of the more common cursing and was getting so creative it was border lining ridiculous. Some along the lines of 'your mother was a hamster' and such.

Remus was about ready to throttle him. "Padfoot! If you start having a row with everything you stub your toe on when moving boxes then could you be damned to do it quietly?"

The muffled "Sorry!" was followed by a full five minutes of quiet. Then a loud crash was heard and the cursing started up again. Remus sighed. His back hurt and his hip was acting up again. Neither knew necessary spells to make this easier and to be honest both were rather too old for this.

They needed reinforcements. Strong, hardworking and willing to keep the job silent types. And with just three days until summer break he knew just the ones to call.

Aggravated by the noise, dear old Mrs. Black started to scream again.

….

Draco started to choke on his toast as Harry finished reading his Godfather's letter. "He wants us to do what!" Ron started to laugh. "Oh no, the pureblood prince actually has to lift a finger! Harry, I'm sorry mate but you're going to be doing all the work."

Draco scowled from his place next to harry at the Gryffindor table. "I was just surprised. Instead of spending the summer with my aunt and Harry with his cousins, we get to spend it cleaning out the Black Home." Harry started to grin from ear to ear. "We get to spend it together! And our friends can visit us anytime! And we can explore London and we get to live with Sirius and Remus! This is great!"

Draco didn't have the heart to remind him that it wasn't all fun and games and that they had to work but he thought that compared to his cousin and his family anything was more fun. Still didn't stop Draco from internally moping about the actual work.

….

Harry coughed violently as a cloud of dust erupted in his face. The teen glared at the offending dust cloud as he explored the back room he'd found piled high with everything from priceless ancient relics to cursed heirlooms to scraps of junk.

Pureblood families, he decided, had a serious hording issue. Draco started in after him crinkling his nose and snarling in utter disgust. Only then his eyes widened and he stared in utter fascination at all the knick-knacks and artifacts the room had to offer. Definitely a hording issue, which would explain why Draco kept almost everything he could find that he deemed worthy of keeping.

"Is it just me or do you old families like to keep a whole lot of crap in your houses?" He winced as Draco thumped the back of his head. "We don't keep crap we keep relics."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "So your telling me that old music box you bought for three gallons when it doesn't even work, isn't rubbish?" Draco flushed. "It's-well… it's pretty."

Harry hummed and didn't push his point. Instead he kissed the flustered and stubborn blonde. "Stubborn Slytherin you are." He blushed. "Hush up Harry we need to clean this place out." He quickly kissed him back. "Idiotic Gryffindor"

"Oh do stop gaping Rowena. The lads are in love. "

Harry and Draco spun around to face boxes of junk. They couldn't cast magic, they were underage and Remus had gone shopping. Sirius went with him as a dog. They were alone.

Another voice not giggly as the first but stern echoed in the small room. "Well who do they remind you of? Goodness Helga it simply shouldn't be, but it is!"

"Oh, come now dearie you're scaring the poor pets. You who! Over here darlings, no down to your right, there's a good lad."

Harry and Draco's eyes landed on none other than the portrait of Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw, young and sipping tea with Hogwarts castle behind them.

Draco raised a fine eyebrow. "Still think this room is full of junk Potter?" He drawled. Harry snorted. 'Smug snake"

"Did I hear you two were from Hogwarts?" The founder of the Hufflepuff house asked. "Yes ma'am" Draco nodded. "My name is Draco Malfoy and this is Harry Potter. It's 1995, the summer before our 5th year. I'm in the Slytherin house and he's in Gryffindor."

"And so polite too! What a charmer." Harry rolled his eyes and Rowena shushed her friend. "Now then boys, I don't mean to be rude but I was wondering if you too were together romantically." Draco blushed and Harry grinned replying. "Yes ma'am." "and are your houses rivals?" Draco nodded. "Of the bitterest kind. We actually used to fight a lot and quite violently."

Rowena sighed. "Ah yes, you do remind me of these two boys I know. They fought constantly, best friends to the end though, however, their story has forever been misunderstood. No one ever knew of the passion between the friends that grew until—well let an old girl live on in her musings."

'Oh no Rowena, you must tell them! It's so romantic, forbidden love. Now then dears, why don't you sit down and listen."

Harry sat down on the floor and leaned against some boxes. Draco sat in between his legs on his lap, trying to avoid the disgusting floor as much as possible.

"This is in fact a story of forbidden love." Rowena began. "Of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin. Two best friends that bickered and loved each other for years. Helga and I put a stop to that of course. We got them together but… when we built Hogwarts there was evil at work and when Salazar saved the man he loved, he was also marked as an enemy. There was a misunderstanding that rocked Hogwarts to its very core and caused the house of the snake and the house of the lion to be bitterest enemies for thousands of generations."

"This is that story"

…

_Yes it's short, bear with me the next chapter will be up quite soon. What do you think of the idea? _


	2. Chapter 2

_We ate at the teacher's table; the four of us excited, for in a few weeks there will be teachers here to settle in and in few spare months, students. It was a trilling feeling. _

_The boys though were bickering again. Young and handsome they were in their youth. Passionate as only young men can be. Godric and Sal had the same builds; tall and defined, Godric had thick brown hair with streaks of gold like a lion's mane that fell around his face to his shoulders. Sal kept his black hair swept back, save for a few stray strands that annoyed him to no end._

_I remember when they first got together. They had been bickering again, like always. They always fought about the most pointless and trivial things when they were bored. Godric would always start it and see how long it would take him to barge through the sarcastic wit and drawl and break down Salazar's iron clad patience. When that happened, it always resorted to brilliant jests like they were still children. Godric thought it was amazing fun while Sal saw it as a chance to enhance his skill. Sal however was a tad selfish. _

_The four of us had met because of our reputations. And decided to build a school to teach our skills to others. Somehow in the decade of building in our late thirties and early forties, he had fallen in love with his best friend. In that period in time it was not uncommon for two males to be together romantically but it wasn't talked about. Sal was inverted and kept to himself. He knew that his friend had romantic intension towards someone but no matter how skilled he was at __Legilimency__, he could not bring himself to violate his friend's privacy. _

_However, when pushed to the end of his patience as Godric loved to do, he had a rare bout of irrationality and cast a spell he'd invented. It was supposed to be a prank as all their spells cast were. The spell found the person's romantic interest and engulfed that person in rose smelling cloud hearts. Sal wanted to know and if I knew him as well as I think, he wanted to hunt the person down. _

_I still remember the look on their faces perfectly. Godric portrayed mortified amusement and Salazar looked confused wondering if the spell backfired and horrified at being surrounded by cloud hearts. _

_Sal started cursing and waving the clouds away. "Ach! I must have said the incantation incorrectly." _

_Godric stealthy approached him. "Why do you say that my dear friend?" I believe Salazar had an expression that was a mixture of exasperation, frustration and adoration that was meant only for Godric. _

"_It states a person's interest." He said carefully as it explained everything in the universe. I remember how Godric's golden eyes glowed. "I have never seen you cast a spell incorrectly. It is a probable as it is improbable."_

_I also remember it as the first and only time Salazar Slytherin has ever looked confounded. Godric smiled reassuringly. "Enter my mind if you don't believe me."_

_Salazar growled almost playfully and let out a small careful smile, his dark grey eyes slightly awed. "I will not, for I do not need to. I have never cast a spell falsely, and you, you have never been untruthful."_

_Helga and I left at that time. The first touch of lips of true lovers is only to be witnessed by the Gods, and even then, it is more sacred then any moment could ever be. _

_I remember them as they grew older and more powerful and how we spent years perfecting Hogwarts for the students. They were two sides of the same coin. Salazar's glare could send thousands down to their knees begging for mercy while Godric's smile could bring hope to hundreds of villages. Darkness and light. They balanced._

_Even their less redeeming qualities were balanced. I hate to speak ill of friends, but Godric had a mean streak. He never knew when a jest had gone too far and he had an addiction to the drinks that muddled men's minds. Salazar, thank Merlin, knew when to stop his jest and when one drink was one too much. _

_As it was, Sal had his toes in the alluring mysteries of the Dark Arts and Godric was always there to pull him out before he got in too deep. Sal was also the most suspicious and least trusting, but when he did trust, and when he did love, he was fiercely loyal. Helga to this day still believes that that was the only thing she and Sal had in common. _

_When we finally finished the school and established the rules, we gave each other gifts to celebrate. We were in our late forties by that point and young for wizards and ready to become professors and teach eager minds. I received a beautiful diadem and Helga had this stunning chalice. We gave Godric this magnificent sword and we thought that Sal being the grump that he was would need a pet. We gave him Basil, a rare emerald snake he could talk to and befriend. When he opened the parcel to find the sleeping serpent I don't think he has ever laughed so loud. _

_Later though, our boys met in their secret rooms in the dungeons. It was hidden, like a common room surrounded by stone. Salazar's private rooms were down there as well. Godric gave his lover a locket engraved with an S on it. He gave it as a gift and as a promise. To be by his side forever. _

_Now here is where our story takes a drastic turn, months after we had opened our doors for students and had them sorted, Godric had gotten word from a wizard in his hometown. Godric was born from muggle's you know. The wizard—I still cannot say his name. His name is bile on my lips—had sent word that Godric's mother was gravely ill. She was of no such thing. His family despised magic as most did during that time. And the wizard was in fact jealous of Godric and his power. _

_He wanted him to burn._

Draco and Harry jumped as they heard a door slam and Sirius's joyful bark before they heard his voice. "Oi! Kiddies! How's the cleaning coming!" Harry rubbed his eyes and noticed that it had gotten dimmer in the room. Evening had fallen.

Draco looked back at the portrait and smiled apologetically at the two Founders. "I'm sorry, we're going to have to delay the rest until tomorrow." Rowena nodded and Helga smiled back. "That's quite alright. We've waited centuries to tell this tale; another day won't be a bother." The two boys got up from the floor as they heard Sirius climbing the stairs. _ "_We'll be back." Harry whispered as they closed the door. "We promise."

Helga smiled sadly at her companion. "I remember our boys promised the same thing." Rowena nodded mournfully amused. "They're so much alike. I just hope this time, the boys actually live to keep their promise."

*dodges flying tomatoes* ok ok so I haven't updated this in a while. Sue me. (don't half my family is some form of an attorney) either way I cranked this out even though I'm supposed to be working on Scarhead. This might only be one to two chapters longer *ducks produce* it's a story told from a portrait! And well I might make it longer once I sort out the climax, we'll see. Hope you enjoyed! Even though it was short.

Review and I won't wait three months until I post the next chapter. *evil smile* AHHH! *ducks a knife and runs like hell*


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